Automatic release



E. 0. PEPPER. AUTOMATIC RELEASE; APPLICATION FILED JUNE 5, -192o.

'IIWEIVTOR EDPEPPLB W ATTORNEYS Patented Apr. 19, 1921.

g tudinal recess 2 in its-forward end.

ELISHA DAVID PEPPER, OF PICKENS, MISSISSIPPI.

AUTOMATIC RELEASE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented A101. 19,1921.

Application filed June 5, 1920. Serial No. 386,805.

To aZZ 10/2 m it may concern.

it known that I, ELISHA D. PEPPER, a citizen ofthe United States, and a resident of Pickens. in the county of Holmes and State of Mississippi, have invented a new and Improved Automatic Release, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This inventionrelates to improvements in automatic releases, an object of the invention being to provide a device of this character which is especially adapted for use with plows, and so constructed that when the plow strikes an immovableobstruction in the ground the draft means will be automatically unhitched from the plow.

A further object is to provide adevice of this type which may be used either with horse drawn or tractor drawn plows, which is practical and durable in use and which will most efliciently perform the functions for which it is intended.

\Vith these-and other. objects in view the inventionconsists in certain novel features of construction and combination and ar rangement of parts as will be more fully hereinafter described and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings"' Figure 1 is a top planview of my improved device.

Fig. 2 is a view in side elevation.

Fig. 3 is a view in transverse section on the line 33 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4: is a fragmentary View on a smaller scale showing the tongue or draft means disconnected from the drawbar.

1 represents a plow beam having a longi- A U- shaped bracket 3 fits over the recessed end of the beam 1 and has its side members 4; boltedto the sides of the shaft as illustrated at opening 6 at its intermediate portion and also with an integral enlargement or boss 7 7 around the opening 6 adapted to guide the drawbar 8 which is projected through the opening 6 in the bracket 3 and extends into the recess 2 in the plow beam 1.

The inner end of the drawbar 8 which is located within the recess 2 is provided with a transversely positioned plate or disk 9 which is secured to the drawbar by means of a screw 10.

A spiral spring 11 is provided around the The bracket 3 is provided with an drawbar 8 between the plate and the bracket 3. I

The other end of the drawbar 8 is bifurcated as shown at '12 and an angular coupling member 13 is pivoted in the bifurcated portion on a bolt 14. The shape of the member 13 is clearly illustrated in Figs. 2 and 4'.

A stirrup 15 depends from the drawbar 8 and is pivotally connected to the drawbar at its extremities by means of a bolt 8 The member 13 is formed with a reduced lug 16 upon its free end adapted to be engaged and supported by the intermediate or lower portion of the stirrup 15.

A tongue or connecting member 17 for the draft animals or other draft means is provided with a clevis 18 which couples with the member 13. .A chain or other flexible connecting device 19 loosely connects the stirrup 15 with a hook 20 on the bracket 3.

A spring 21 is connected at one end to the cross piece 15" in the stirrup 15 and has its other end secured to an eye 15 on a depending enlargement 22 on the under face of the drawbar 8 and holds the stirrup in position on the lug 16 and against a shoulder 16" formed at the free end of member 13 and limiting the'forward pivotal movement of the stirrup. The enlargement 12 also forms an abutment or shoulder limiting the rearward movement of the clevis 18.

In operation when the plow strikes an immovable obstruction such as a rock or stump the plow will be stopped. The continued pull on the drawbar 8 will pull the drawbar forwardly in the recess 2, compressing the spring 11 abnormally. It can be readily seen that an extreme forward movement of the drawbar 8 with relation to the plow beam 1 will increase the distance between thehook 20 and the stirrup 15 so thatthe chain will become taut and pull the stirrup 15 rearwardly, releasing the coupling Imember 13 and permitting the clevis to draw the latter to the position shown in Fig. &, and hence the clevis will slip over the member 13 thus unhitching the plow from its draft means. The spring 11 will then operate to return the drawbar to its normal position.

It is of course to be understood that under a normal strain the spring 11 exerts suflichain 19 and a consequent release of the member 13, and that only a sudden jar or jolt caused by the plow striking a relatively immovable object will be sufiicient to unhitch the draft animals or tractor, as the case may be, from the plow.

It is also to be understood that the hook 20 may engage any one of the links of the chain 19 so that the devicemay be made adjust-able to uncouple under strains of greater or less degree depending upon the ground to be plowed and the kind of obstructions likely to be encountered. Various slight changes and alterations might be made in the general form of the parts described without departing from the spirit of my invention, and hence I do not limit myself to the precise details set forth, but consider myself at liberty toimake such slight changes and alterations as fairly fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

l. A device of the character stated, comprising a beam, a drawbar-movably connected to the beam and projectingforwardly therefrom, a spring engaging the drawbar and offering elastic resistance to the inclependent forward movement thereof, a rearwardly projecting coupling member pivotally connected at its forward endrto the drawbar, a stirrup pivotally connected to the drawbar and normally engaging the free rear end of the coupling member holding the same in operative position,and a normally slack flexible connecting devicecon necting the stirrup and beam and adapted upon continued forward movementof the drawbar after the connecting device is taut, to cause a release of the stirrup from the coupling member.

2. A device of the character stated, comprising a beam, a drawbar movably connected'to the beam and projecting forwardly therefrom, a spring engaging the drawbar and offering elastic resistance to the inde pendent forward movement thereof, a rearwardly pro]ect1ng coupling member pivotally connected at its forward end to the drawbar, a stirrup pivotally connected to the drawbar and normally engaging the free rear end of the coupling member holding the same in operative position, a normally slack flexible connecting device connecting the stirrup and beam and adapted upon continued forward movement of the drawbar afterthe connecting device is taut, to cause a release of the stirrup from the coupling member, said flexible connecting device comprising a chain connected at one end to the stirrup, and a hook on the beam for selectively engaging one of the links of the chain, whereby the chain may be given the desired slack.

3. Adevice of the character described, comprising a beam, a drawbar movably connected to the beam and projecting forwardly therefrom, a spring engaging the drawbar and offering elastic resistance to the inde pendent forward movement thereof, a coupling member pivotally connected to the drawbar and normally projecting rearwardly and in substantial parallelism therewith, a lug on the rear end of the coupling member, a stirrup pivotally connected to the drawbar and normally engaging the lug, a spring connecting the stirrup with the drawbar and exerting spring pressure on the stirrup holding the same against the'endof the coupling member, and a normally slack flexible connecting device connecting the stirrup and beam and adapted upon continued forward movement of the drawbar after the connecting device is taut, to cause a release of the stirrup from the coupling member.

4. A device of the character described, comprising a beam, a drawbar movably connected to the beamand projecting-forwardly therefrom, a spring engaging the drawbar and offering. elastic resistance to the independent forward movement thereof, ail-angular coupling member pivotally connected to the drawbar and normally projecting rearwardly and in substantial parallelism therewith, said coupling member adapted to receive a link, a projection on the drawbar in rear of the pivotal connection of the coupling member forminga shoulder,

whereby the link is limited in its longitu-lOO dinal movement relative to the drawbar by reason of said shoulder and the forward portion of the coupling member, a stirrup, 

